


Rose Gold

by SophiePlanchette



Series: Magi: Possession of the Silver Hunter [1]
Category: Magi: The Labyrinth of Magic
Genre: Confessions, Dorkiness, It’s Complicated, Ja'far is so loyal, M/M, Questionably healthy relationship, Sexual Themes, Sinbad almost doesn't deserve him, Sindria, Wholesome, alcohol consumption, body image issues, boys loving boys, but they need each other, establishing the relationship, love/comfort, self aware obsessions, tragic/sweet
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-12-24
Updated: 2020-12-24
Packaged: 2021-03-10 20:42:26
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,342
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28273311
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SophiePlanchette/pseuds/SophiePlanchette
Summary: It started out as an innocent request. A moment of clear judgement that was meant to keep his King out of trouble for an evening that could've ended in disaster!From the world of Magi, a complicated love story plays out within the Kingdom of Sindria.After accidentally confessing his love for his king, Sinbad is accepting of Ja’far’s affections and decides to give dating the ex-assassin a chance. However, Ja'far struggles to deal with his feelings, and is skeptical that his purple haired romantic interest truly loves him in return.Sinbad cares deeply for his precious vizier, but rather than try to prove himself he fights back against Ja’far’s insecurities.
Relationships: Jafar/Sinbad (Magi)
Series: Magi: Possession of the Silver Hunter [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2071266
Comments: 4
Kudos: 31





	Rose Gold

On this night, with the solstice long behind them it’s now the height of the summer season, a crew of close friends decide it's the perfect night to go out drinking. Besides, when one of your friends is the ruler of his own country, the time of year doesn't matter in the grand scheme of things. Every night is a good night to go out drinking. Especially when knocking back a few brews is the king's favorite pastime, it’s to be expected. Who dares to stop him?

Yet a wiley king reflects badly on his kingdom and it was always left to the trusted vizier to reign him in whenever necessary. Ja’far took no pride in the job of babysitting a jagaloon of a king such as Sinbad, but out of duty for Sindria he has resigned himself to be forever seen as the party-pooper among Sindria’s elite Eight Generals.

Ja'far wasn’t a fan of alcohol, however he wasn’t putting himself through this perfect-stress-storm that strained his system just to stop his king from drinking. Not entirely. Bailing Sinbad out of trouble every time he got drunk and ran amok only tested the younger man’s resiliency to the max. His honest desire was to see Sin show a little restraint and stay out of trouble. Was that really so bad?

The ashy-blonde haired man stood down the hall from the king’s chambers. Laying in wait with the hope of catching him before he meets up with the other generals; if caught, Ja’far would risk being teased by the extroverted pack of enablers for actively trying to spoil their fun. 

Not too much time had passed before the king emerged quietly from his chambers, with more care taken to be stealthy than necessary inside his own palace.

Sinbad was a dazzling young man in his late 20’s. Long strands of purple hair fell around his shoulders from a loosely tied ponytail. If it wasn’t his status that impressed people, or all the gold and jewelry he wore while flaunting his 7 djinn metal vessels, it was his energetic spirit and the gallant way he carried himself that earned him a lot of respect from his allies. He held his head high and possessed the walk of a man who accomplished many great things in his life.

However, to those who may find the young ruler’s virtuousness bordered on the side of egotistical, Sinbad gained just as much disrespect from those who claim to be his enemy; to which Ja’far would reason that there is more to Sinbad’s leadership skills than his ego. Yet one needs a big ego to be a leader in this world. 

An ego isn't necessarily a flaw in one's ability to rule. Quite the contrary, so long as checks and balances are put in place. Sinbad didn't have the experience to be a ruler and didn't have everything figured out at first, but he carried the prerequisites that most rulers tend to lack; the confidence to motivate others into following his lead without the need of royal blood ties or through intimidation tactics. Unless an ego is carelessly nurtured. Sinbad learned the dark sides of letting an ego feed on itself in the past. In turn it caused him to lose the ability to make smart decisions, resulting in the temporary loss of his freedom.

Four years his junior, Ja’far has known Sin all his youth. Though some may say the vizier was still in his youth, he was wise beyond his years. Ja’far stepped up and became the guide Sinbad needed. The words ‘It can’t be done’ didn’t exist in Sinbad’s vocabulary, giving the young Ja'far the determination to remain by his side and aid him in developing his role as a ruler. Which also meant supporting his wild ambitions. 

A sneaky Sinbad was caught by Ja’far. Leaned against a pillar, the ashy-blonde made it no secret that he was patiently waiting for his king. The ex-assassin stood out against the creamy alabaster interior of the palace.

Standing out in the open, Ja’far wore long white robes with a green trim embroidered with a chain of interlocking diamonds, the attire of a Sindrian citizen. A matching green keffiyeh sat atop his head with the golden Sindria crest featuring two phoenixes, proof of his status as the king’s right-hand-man. 

The fair-haired man pushed off from the pillar, blocking the king's path. Poised with his hands clasped in front of him hidden inside the long sleeves of his robes. This pose either meant he was relaxed or meant business. It was hard to tell with Ja’far sometimes. The look of concern written all over the younger man’s pouty, freckled face told Sinbad it was the latter.

Sinbad stopped a few steps away from Ja’far and sighed. “Who told you?” He inquired with a amblicable expression despite feeling as though he’s walked right into a trap. The king expected that the information of his outing would somehow reach the ears of the highly trained assassin, so he wasn't that surprised to find him here.

“I heard about your evening plans from an upset Yamu, who heard it from Sharrkan.” Ja’far replied. Of course, this was right up Sharrkan's alley, and if the hotheaded swordsman planned it, he’d be the one to go around bragging about it. No doubt Masrur and Hina are also taking part in his parade of drinking buddies.

“So you’ve come to stop me. Is that what’s going on here, Ja’far?” The purple haired man cocked his head to the side with a wide smirk. Normally his approach would be to charm his way out of this common occurrence. Sinbad gets himself into trouble quite often, yet his usual methods of smooth talk to avoid repercussions almost never worked on Ja’far. He was caught, and all Sinbad could do was listen to what the vizier had to say.

“Sin. You know how I feel about you going to _those_ places…” Ja'far utters distastefully, knowing full well that wherever alcohol is served, women will be involved. Sin with girls and alcohol was a bad combination, without needing any further explanation. 

“Nothing is going to happen. I promise to be on my best behavior!” Sinbad says, trying to sound reassuring. Usually with great success. With a hand held high on his ‘Sindria’s scouts honor’ and winning smile. Confidence came to the man naturally. 

But the younger man has a secret that Sinbad doesn't know, and that’s how Ja’far prefered it to stay. On the surface, he was nothing more than a loyal subordinate invested in protecting his king and country. Albeit those were important to insure the kingdom's reputation and prosperity. Sinbad wasn’t at fault for not knowing how much it hurt Ja’far to think about--to know, because he's witnessed it, all the ways he might fool around and cuddle with women. In the sort of ways the vizier could never behave towards his beloved king so openly. With the man he fell hard for so many years ago. Though he’ll never admit it out loud and allow Sinbad a chance to hear the jealousy in his voice. Ja'far will continue to strongly play the role of a concerned friend.

“The other generals are waiting for me. Come join us, Ja’far!”

Sinbad has tried to invite Ja'far in the past, and he’s accepted the invitation a few times to keep an eye on him. However, being surrounded by so many people, inebriated or not, wasn't Ja'far's scene. 

Their plans would start by sneaking out of the towering palace without raising any suspicion from the guards. Ja’far truly enjoyed taking in the sight of the lights as they made their descent to the fiery lit streets below but midway through the evening the pack of friends mingled with the citizens, having no intentions of blending seamlessly into the crowds. They’d stand out in their official Sindrian royal robes as a means to approach people and find out what interesting events were happening. To where the nightlife was going to steer their little adventure to the evening's final climax. 

Stumbling around after one too many, tavern and brothel hopping, or the hassle of the morning's resulting hangover only reminded him that he'd preferred to stay away from such… conspicuous establishments anyway. 

He’s just hardwired to think that way. One can remove the man from the assassin’s lifestyle, but you cannot remove the assassin’s lifestyle from the man. It’s in his nature to avoid public areas that leave him exposed. Ja’far has told Sinbad this repeatedly on several occasions; that even though he has the love of the people of Sindria on his side, there are still dangers laying in wait, ready for him the moment he leaves the safety of the palace. 

As this reminded him of how different they both were. Sinbad was such an outgoing and social guy compared to himself. Such a cold revelation made Ja’far shift awkwardly.

“No, thank you.” Ja’far shook his head. The other generals went to such lengths to keep their plan a secret from him anyway. Until the king becomes involved, Ja’far tends to stay out of their schemes. Sinbad was his only concern. “H-how about...” he began to propose his idea. “Spending the evening inside the palace with me? There won't be any, um, _‘ladies of the evening’_ , but I could keep you company.”

“Oh?” The golden eyed man raised an eyebrow at the suggestive remark. Ja'far's face glowed bright red from embarrassment when he realised what he may have implied.

“Uh! You misunderstood!" Ja'far's arms shot out from his sleeves and flailed around frantically to emphasize his mistake. "I meant that we both work so hard and never see each other, and rarely do we get a chance to unwind together! So maybe... I was just thinking that I-I could be your drinking buddy…?” he stuttered awkwardly.

“I thought you didn't like drinking. Have you been holding out on me all this time?” Sinbad teased.

Ja’far flashed a shy smile, and looked up at Sinbad through his eyelashes. “Not particularly, but I’ve been wanting to try the new shipment of Sasan wine.” He’ll happily meet the alcoholic halfway if it means getting to spend time with him. “Since they’re a country that doesn’t believe in drinking recreationally, the wine is popularly used during ceremonies. So the alcohol percentage is kept pretty low.” Ja'far mentions a matter-of-factly. 

The idea of Sasan’s wine was perfect for the young vizier’s low tolerance and preferences. It took years for the Sindria trading team to get the deeply religious country to agree to distribute the consecrated liquor, but only under the agreement that it be marketed with their religious values in mind. Ja’far hoped this occasion was the best time to be the first to sample their wine. It would stand to reason that the act of getting his king to behave virtuously should align with the standards from the Land of Purity.

“Do I have a choice?” The purple haired king asked with a chuckle. He caught on quickly to the significance of Ja’far’s request. Perhaps it would be disrespectful and not a good look for the leader of a merchant country to reject the opportunity to try a special product that was so graciously entrusted to him.

“Of course you have a choice…” Ja'far replied quietly and shyly looked away while hiding the lower half of his face behind his sleeves. By approaching him with an alternative option, he wanted Sin to make what he felt was the right choice but without leading him on to the ex-assassin’s selfish intentions. Yet, he did not know that the ex-fisherman already made up his mind.

“I agree. You're absolutely right, we don't get to see each other outside of work enough.” Sinbad admitted. This shook Ja’far out from behind his sleeves. He watched with bewilderment as the dashing older man walked to a balcony and leaned over the stone railings to wave at the party of his generals below. Gesturing them on to go without him. 

Completely stunned, Ja’far could not contain his excitement. He grinned with joy and couldn't believe he convinced Sin to spend the evening with him instead! _Success!!_

Sinbad turned to look at Ja’far, silver shine of lunar light outlined his masculine features, sculpted like a masterpiece and the moon was the artist. “You look satisfied, Ja’far.” His long, abundant hair was picked up by the wind and flowed freely, like purple ribbons against the deep cerulean blue of the evening sky. Ja’far has always wanted to run his fingers through it. "Try not to rub it in."

Overtaken by the captivating sight, Ja’far managed to utter. “Excuse me,” and hid part of his face behind the sleeves of his robe once again. “I’ll attempt to hide my vainglorious boasts.” Sinbad could almost hear the smile in the young man’s voice.

“How about you retrieve the wine and we’ll meet up on the south side of the Purple Leo tower?”

“Yes! Although it might take me some time to find the Sasan wine because it was buried under the new shipment of Imuchakk's wine,” Ja’far mentions with a nauseous groan. “But we'll save that for Hina and Masrur. There is no way I could handle the potency of the wine from Imuchakk.” 

Any shipment of alcohol from the tribe with such a gargantuan physique always needed to be diluted before it’s consumption by the general public. Very few humans have the body size or metabolism to handle such fortified and untampered alcohol. It wasn’t easy and took several tries before the people of Imuchakk found an acceptable balance of alcohol percentage, while keeping the northern lands beloved authentic flavor. 

“I’ll meet back up with you as quickly as I can!” Ja’far bowed calmly but Sinbad could see the glee written on the young vizier's face. 

Ja’far spun around and briskly walked away. Down the hall, turning at the first corner and once he was out of sight he sprinted for the cellar.


End file.
